Garment reshaping and drying device



Sept. 6, 1960 s. o. CHENEY 2,951,621

GARMENT RESHAPING AND DRYING DEVICE Filed Oct. 19, 1956 IN VEN TOR.STANLEY 0, CHENEY,

United States Patent 2,951,621 GARIVIENT RESHAPIN G AND DRYING DEVICEStanley 0. Cheney, Main St., Newton Junction, N.H. Filed Oct. 19, 1956,Ser, No. 617,045 6 Claims. (Cl. 223-66) This invention relates togarment drying and reshaping devices and more particularly to a devicefor drying and reforming brassiere cups subsequent to washing.

It is an object of my invention to provide a brassiere cup reshaping anddrying device of a simple nature and one which may be readily andeconomically manufactured, preferably by a plastic molding process.

It is another object of my invention to provide a drying device whichwill be simple to operate and which in use effectively restores thedesirable form to a shaped garment.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a drying and reshapingdevice which is compact for storage and which may be made withsuflicient ruggedness for use over a considerable length of time.

In brief, I achieve the objects hereinabove stated by making a dryingdevice as a conically shaped form generally conforming to the innerconfiguration of a brassiere cup. The form contemplated by the inventionis preferably molded of plastic and thin enough to be semiflexible,although having characteristics of stiffness sufficient to hold a wetbrassiere cup in proper shape during drying. The form is provided with alarge number of apertures to permit filtration of air around and throughthe drying brassiere cu 'In addition, tongues or gripping points areprovided on the form which protrude slightly from the surface thereof soas to grip a brassiere cup near or adjacent to the base. Thus, abrassiere cup may be pulled over the form and gripped by a plurality oftongues, to be held in unwrinkled stretched condition during drying.

I also disclose herein a mode of securing the brassiere cup to the formin addition to or instead of the tongues hereinabove described. Suchmeans comprises a flexible ring of plastic or other suitable materialwhich can be forced over the cup after it is placed over the form andthrust downwardly to encircle the cup and hold it to the 'form near thebase thereof. Thus, a stretching process is effected and the garment cupis maintained in the stretched and shaped condition while drying.

A detail disclosure of my invention now follows in conjunction with theappended drawing inwhich:

Fig. l is aperspective view of a form in accordance with my teaching;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the form;

Fig. 3 is a plan view thereof;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevation of a modification; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan of the same modification.

Referring now to the drawing, my invention comprises a generallyconically shaped form preferably of thinwalled plastic. However, othermaterials, such as metal and molded fiberboard, etc.', may be used. Iprefer plastic because it is light, easily cleanable, and flexible sothat it may be bent without being permanently deformed. Further, aplastic material is sanitary, easily cleaned, and unaffected by acids,soap and detergents, natural or artificial light and heat.

The general shape of the form affords an apex 14 Patented Sept. 6, 1960lar configuration may be varied to suit various types and types ofbrassiere cups.

A flexible clip 26 is suitably fastened at the rim of the form 10 and itwill be understood that the clip 26 may be utilized to hang the cup on aclothes line during drying, although other hanging means is provided aswill hereinafter appear.

as just described, one for each cup of the brassiere. It will beappreciated that by thus devising two separate cups, storage thereof issimplified inasmuch as the cups readily nest ineach other when not inuse. However, if desired, the cups maybe secured to each other by meansof a tape or ribbon of a length depending upon the spacing between cupsof any particular brassiere.

The surface of the form 10 is provided with a large plurality ofelongated apertures 30, the apertures being more crowded toward theapex. Around the base portion 20 are two rings of tongues 32. Each ringof tongues is in a plane substantially parallel with the plane of thebase of the conical form. It will be noted that the tongues aresurrounded by substantially open spaces such as 36. The tongues extendoutwardly very slightly from the surface of the form so as to engage thematerial of a brassiere cup forced down over the form. The tongues are,as shown, provided with points which dig into the material slightly, butnotto an extent to cause damage. I have found that making the form ofplastic such as high impact polystyrene, hard Vinylite, acetate orpolyethylene provides tongues that will grip the material withouttearing it.

Thus, as noted on the drawing, the two rings of tongues are parallel toeach other and the spacing is such as to permit the tongues to be instaggered array so as to provide a large plurality of individuallygripping points around the inside periphery of a brassiere cup.

An additional means of securing a brassiere cup to the fonn, which meansmay be used by itself without the need for the tongues 32, is disclosedby way of a flexible ring 40. The ring 40 may be die cut from anysuitable sheet material or molded from flexible Vinylite or polyethyleneand is formed with a plurality of tabs such as 44 which are slotted at46. A further tab 48 is provided with a slot 5t) that encompasses aportion of the clip 26 so as to secure the ring to the form.

The purposes of the tabs 44 and perforations 46 is to afford grippingsuitable to secure gripping by the fingers of an operator in forcing thering down over a brassiere cup which has been placed on the form 10. Infinal position the ring 40 is as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, it being notedthat it is adjacent the base of the form and will be understood to thussecurely hold the base of the brassiere cup on the form.

From the disclosure hereinabove given it will be apparent that abrassiere cup may be stretched taut over a form and that it will be heldsecurely in place either by virtue of the tongues 32 or the ring 40, orboth.

In view of the fact that a large plurality of apertures are providedthrough the form, a substantial aeration of the brassiere cup from theinterior thereof is afiorded.

In the modification shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the distinction resides inthe base formation of the forms 50. Thus, the base is formed with aseries of elongated slats 54 terminating in an integrally molded ring56. The extension thus formed gives the cup greater depth, thusproviding a more universal design. A perforated 1,5 integral tab 62furnishes a convenient means for hanging the forms and garment whiledrying,

I am aware that variations in my invention may be made without departingfrom the spirit thereof and accordingly I do not seek to be limited tothe precise disclosure herein given except as set forth in the appendedclaims.

I claim:

1. A device for drying and shaping a brassiere cup comprising agenerally conical hollow form having an apex and a base, said conicalform being formed with a plurality of openings therein, said conicalform being adapted to be inserted in a brassiere cup of correspondingconfiguration, and securing means at the base of said form for securingsaid cup to said form, said securing means comprising a plurality oftongues bent slightly outward of said form and extending toward the baseof said form.

' 2. A device for drying a brassiere cup comprising a generally conicalhollow form of thin-walled semiflexible plastic material, said formhaving an apex and a base and having a plurality of perforations, saidform being adapted to be inserted in a brassiere cup of correspondingconfiguration, and securing means for securing said cup on said form,said securing means including a plurality of tongues bent slightlyoutward of said form and extending toward the base of said form, eachtongue protruding into an open area provided in the material of saidform.

3. A device for drying a brassiere cup comprising a generally conicalhollow form of thin-walled semiflexible plastic material, said formhaving an apex and a base and having a plurality of perforations, saidform being adapted to be inserted in a brassiere cup of correspondingconfiguration, and securing means for securing said cup on said form,said securing means including a plurality of tongues bent slightlyoutward of said form and extending toward the base of said form, saidtongues being angularly spaced about the periphery of said form in aplane parallel to said base.

4. A device as set forth in claim 3, and said form being provided withadditional openings in which said tongues are promontor-ies.

5. A device as set forth in claim 3, and including a flexible ringengageable with said base of said form and adapted to encompass saidform and to grippingly engage said cup adjacent said base.

6. A device for drying and reforming a brassiere cup comprising agenerally conical hollow form having an apex and a base and having aplurality of perforations, said form being adapted to be inserted in abrassiere cup of corresponding configuration, and securing means forsecuring said cup to said form, said securing means comprising aflexible ring adapted to encompass said form and to grippingly engagesaid cup adjacent said base, a clip extending from said base, said ringhaving a tab provided with a perforation, a portion of said clip passingthrough said perforation to secure said ring to said form, said ringbeing slidable outwardly of said conical form within said clip.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,888,375 Diener Nov. 22, 1932 2,200,102 Sepe May 7, 1940 2,521,100Sublette Sept. 5, 1950 2,730,275 Flores Ian. 10, 1956 2,812,837 PalinkasNov. 12, 1957 2,815,157 Badgley Dec. 3, 1957

